HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Hard to believe that a new year is upon us once again, isn't it? May we all enjoy a fresh new year of peace and happiness. Good propagation would be nice, too....

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened

OK, let's see what's happening around the state...

CLUB NEWS

ALBANY ARC--- The club's Christmas party and dinner was attended by about 70 people, including a couple from as far away as Indiana. Southeastern Division Vice Director SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, even made the trip, much to the delight of club members. That "Handsome Romeo" CHARLIE AKINS, AB4HR, made the trip over from Quincy, Alabama, too, and knowing his sense of humor, I'm sure he kept everyone chuckling. WANDA PERRETT, bride of club member LEON PERRETT, K4GCR, once again entertained the crowd by singing a bunch of Holiday favorites. Club elections were also held, and congratulations go out to these newly-elected officers: President- JAY REID, KG4OJJ; VP- KEN ADAMS, K1KBA; Secretary- STAN HALSTEAD, W4GOD; and Treasurer- BOB SMITH, K4PHE. Hope you guys have another great year leading the club.

ALFORD MEMORIAL ARC--- The club's annual Christmas party was a huge success.... Lots of good food and even better fellowship.  To their surprise and delight, JAY SAGER, WA4BXA, and his bride JEAN, KA4BNG, were awarded a lifetime club membership in recognition of their many years of dedication and hard work for amateur radio and for the club. Membership chairman LEE FLACK, KD4HPD, in an evening's flashback to a "once upon a time in a land far away" stint as a DJ, kept the music flowing, and everyone left at the end of the night with a door prize tucked under an arm. (But it wasn't the prizes that sent everyone out into the chilled night with a warm spot in their hearts...)

ATHENS ARC--- I understand that these folks are especially blessed to be able to count Santa Claus himself among their membership. AKA TIM PIAZZA, KG4GMS, his appearance at their Christmas party made the event even better, especially for the youngsters in attendance. These folks have had a busy autumn and winter so far, providing communications for all of the UGA home football games and for multiple races in the area. Not surprising, they'll be hitting the ground running and doing more of the same starting out early in January.

ATLANTA ARC--- These guys are kicking off the new year with what sounds like an outstanding program for their January meeting. Radio astronomy. Sorry, guys, but JODY FOSTER can't make it, but it promises to be an interesting and informative meeting. (January 9th)

CONYERS ARG--- Their Holiday party was once again held in a nice little Italian restaurant, and as always, a good time was had by all. Congratulations to the newly-elected officers for the year 2003: President- MIKE LAMB, WB9TBY; VP- MARY ANN FLACK, KE4AXE; Treasurer- TIM ROSING, KC4ELV; Secretary- MIKE AMOS, KG4NDS, and Program Director- GUY PUCKETT, AF4MN. The revered "Golden Mike" was awarded to MIKE AMOS, KG4NDS, for being the NCS with the most check-ins during the year 2002 on the club's weekly net. Adding to the case for this club being called the MIKE ARC, club member and all-around Elmer and Good Guy MIKE BRANCA, W3IRZ, was there with his bride, looking very hale and hearty. Everyone was delighted to see him doing so well.

DALTON ARC--- Congratulations to the Ham of the Year TONY SMITH, AG4NE, and thanks to one of my favorite "informers" DREWSKI, for letting me know about it. Have you noticed the bracing chill in the air lately? Must be getting close to Dalton Hamfest time, huh? Just around the corner....

GWINNETT ARS--- Lots of changes have been taking place with this club lately. A new "where" and "when" for monthly club meetings tops the list, and has them meeting the second Tuesday of the month now at the First United Methodist Church at the corner of Langley Drive and Highway 29 in Lawrenceville. The December meeting gave members an opportunity to get acquainted with the new location, but it wasn't just "business as usual". While happily munching cookies and sipping coffee, RON LANGSTON, WE5O, was overwhelmed to hear his name announced as the recipient of the 2002 Ham of the Year award. As one of the club's official Elmers, and as the patient and caring (and corny!) CW instructor on the club's CW practice nets, (8PM on Tuesdays nights on 147.075+, PL 82.5) Ron certainly deserved all of the accolades that went his way. In addition to shifting the CW net, the want-swap-sell-and-information net has been moved to Mondays at 8PM. So, a lot of the "wheres" and "whens" and "whos" have been shuffling, but one thing that's remained constant is the "hows": CONGRATULATIONS to all members of GARS for recently renewing as a Special Service Club and reaffirming your commitment to excellence. Big event coming up the end of January: the GARS 6th annual Techfest. For more information, see "Upcoming Events".

LANIERLAND ARC--- It came as no surprise to me that PHIL LOGGINS, K4PDL, was named as this club's Ham of the Year. Phil works tirelessly and with great enthusiasm to promote participation in the many projects this service-minded club supports. A special award was also presented to Phil's wife SUSAN LOGGINS, recognizing her as an "official LARC Ham Widow" in appreciation of her good-natured sharing of so much of Phil's time for the good of the club and the hobby. On New Year's Eve, club members will be working at Gainesville's family-oriented First Night activities, so they'll be ending the old year and starting the new as always... in service to their community.

LIBERTY COUNTY ARC--- Congratulations to newly-elected club officers for 2003: President- WALLY RANKIN, KE4ISH; Secretary- STEVE VEVE, KD4HDQ; Treasurer- BILL GARY, KT4KH; NM- WALLY RANKIN, KE4ISH; and Trustees- WALLY RANKIN, KE4ISH and DICK WILLIAMS, KF4UM. That Wally's a busy guy, isn't he? Besides activates with the club, he's also been the Liberty county EC for about eight years now, and is also the training officer for the GA Army MARS. Thank, Wally, for all that you do, and good luck to all of you guys in leading the club this next year.

NORTH FULTON ARL--- Boy, there sure are some good cooks in this club! Catering is fine, but nothing beats the variety and taste of home-cooked foods provided by club members for this club's annual Christmas party. I'm talking goooood. Club president TODD MCGINNIS, KB4KAY, had the special honor of presenting the Al Fisher Memorial Ham of the Year award to none other than his father, CHUCK MCGINNIS, ND4D, in recognition of his many years of dedicated service to the hobby, to Army MARS, and to the club. It was a special moment for all in attendance.

THOMASVILLE ARC--- Bringing him "one year short of a decade" for serving as club president, MIKE BROWN, KE4FGF, was recently re-elected for another term. (He must be doing something right!) Also elected are VP- BOBBY COOPER, N4KXL; VP of Special Events- WYNONA SADLER, KF4HSM; Secretary- NIRMAL SINGH, W4ZDP; and Newsletter Editor- BUDDY PEEPLES, WD4CJI. Congratulations to all of you fine folks, and good luck for having another terrific year with the club.

VALDOSTA ARC--- Congratulations to newly elected officers: President- WAYNE BRANT, KO4QJ; VP- MARK TIDROW, KG4SZY; Treasurer- STEVE ADAMS, KF4NAT; and Secretary- LISA BRANT, KD4CJV. I know who the Ham of the Year is, but I'm not sure that it's been officially announced yet, so SHHHH! I'll wait until next month, rather than risk spoiling the secret. This club and its leadership approaches the new year with many new ideas and great enthusiasm. They currently hold classes for the technician and general class license, and plans are in the works to start instructions for the extra class, too. Not to mention teaching the code through practice sessions on their repeater. (146.76- PL 141.3) Their most ambitious undertaking, however, involves a brand new Hamfest. Working with the South GA ARC, the goal is to create the "biggest Hamfest in South GA". Coming up in August... 8th through 10th. Count me in!

A GENTLE REMINDER: Annual reports are due in January for the following clubs: ARC of Augusta, Athens ARC, Albany ARC, Cherokee Capital ARS, Charles E Newton RC, Columbus ARC, South GA ARC, and Conyers ARG. This is very easy to do online. Go to http://www.arrl.org/field/club/biglist/html and scroll through the GA clubs to find your club information. At the end of the info on your club, click on "submit updated data for this club report", which will bring the data into a modifiable format. Make whatever changes needed, fill in the part "official submitting this application" and then "submit report". That's it.

TWENTY-FOUR active affiliated clubs are OVERDUE in submitting their reports. Rather than list all of these clubs, PLEASE check to see if your club is one of them, and then take the few minutes necessary to file that report. Please note that even if you haven't filed a report in MANY YEARS, if your club was EVER an affiliated club, you can file that report now, and be moved from the "inactive" club file back into the "active" file. However, you still must have a minimum of 51% ARRL membership from within your club's membership.

My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned.... I just couldn't concentrate...

ARES NEWS

The STATEWIDE ARES MEETING 2003 is coming up soon. It's been tentatively scheduled for February first, from 11AM until 2PM, at the GA Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, according to SEC MIKE BOATRIGHT, KO4WX. He said we can "pencil it in" on our calendars. Stay tuned for confirmation. If possible, check into the state ARES net on Sundays at 5PM on 3.975 for the latest details. This late morning start time is to allow YOU the time to travel to the meeting without having to crawl out of bed at dark thirty. Hope to see you there.

Talking about the state ARES net, we could still use some volunteers who are willing to serve as net control. If you're interested, please get in touch with Net Manager J.D.GOINGS, AA4P, at aa4p@moultriega.net 

CARROLL COUNTY ARES members participated in a drill on December 7th with Carroll county public service agencies. Led by EC ALAN RANDALL, K4DEY, twelve members participated in the tornado scenario, with representation at the 911 center and with the Red Cross shelter, among other things. Not only was the drill a success, but they even got some good press coverage in the local newspaper.

CONGRATULATIONS to MARK FOLEY, NA4V, who's agreed to serve as our newest Digital DEC for the GA section. Along with JOHN KRAUS, KC4ZGC, Mark has been heavily involved with the I-16 digipeater project, and he brings much personal knowledge of APRS and other digital modes to this position. Thank you so much, Mark, for your willingness to share your knowledge and your willingness to guide fellow hams in these modes, and thanks, also, to BARRETT THOMPSON, KE4R, who has served in this position up until now.

Talking about digital communications, have you heard the latest on the digipeater project ? This from SEC MIKE BOATRIGHT, KO4WX: "JOHN KRAUS, KC4GZQ, and MARK FOLEY, NA4V, have stepped up to my challenge from last February's state meeting to work to open up digital communications along I-16 between Macon and the Coast. With help from BLANDON MOSELY, N4XKE, (who has provided tower space, power, and a place to store the digipeater) and GLENN FINNEY, KF4QVD, (who graciously donated 275' of 7/8 hardline, hangers, and connectors). Mark donated a Yaesu FT2400, John, a whole slew of parts, and I was able to contribute some  old decommissioned 486 PCs. It has truly been a team effort. Now all we need is someone with experience and climbing equipment to help us get the antenna up in Dublin."  They're aiming to do this in very early January. If you can help, please contact John at flyfisher452@cox.net (I understand that Mike might even spring for a burger...)

Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax....

AN AFTER ACTION REPORT ON 9/11

BILL CARTER, KG4FXG, our GEMA DEC, attended a seminar on December 10th at the Forsyth Public Service Training Center, and he was kind enough to pass along some of the information he gained that day. Many of us have heard reports about the response to the World Trade Center. This report centers on the response to the attacks on the Pentagon. Thanks, Bill, for attending the meeting, and for sharing some of the information with the rest of us.

ATTACK ON THE PENTAGON:
LESSONS LEARNED AND EMERGING TRENDS

The GEMA conference on December 10th in Forsyth Georgia presented an excellent critique on the emergency response to the attack on the Pentagon.  Basically what was presented was an evaluation of Arlington County's Report, (Observations, Findings, and Recommendations).  Here is a brief description of what was discussed and some history.

The report took nine months to write.  The Pentagon is seven million square feet, has 100,000 miles of telephone cable running through it, eighteen miles of corridors, and ground breaking took place in 1941.

Actions that facilitated a favorable response:

• Good weather

• Several leaders close by for training

• Fire trucks rolling to a high-rise fire

Some challenges and lessons learned:

Communications!!!!  All aspects were problematic.  Systems and
facilities were inadequate.  911 was overwhelmed.  The ECC had only eight emergency telephones and eight non-emergency telephones.  The 911 system filled up and rolled over to these phones.  Responders then used cell phones.  The cell phones saturated the (CPAS) Cell Priority Access Service. Basically, a long discussion on how communication was a problem that had a domino effect.

• Recall instructions. It was hard to call in extra staff due to the phones shutting down. Emergency staff didn't have pagers. (No paging system in place for re-call's)
   

• Ambient noise was a problem. When communication was achieved it was very difficult, especially around the Incident Command due to noise level. They used people on foot to deliver traffic. They had a special signal for emergency staff, three short bursts followed by one long burst, but it could not be heard due to noise level.
   

• Radio dispatch was not integrated with support units. Not everyone was on the same net!!! Different responders could not communicate with other units.
   

• Many mutual aid responders arrived without radios. Those that did have radios could not operate on main frequency. It was said that these radios needed to be pre-programmed in the shop. I guess they don't program on the fly like Amateurs can. The Local, Regional, and State could not talk to each other.
   

• They had many other counties send in help, Fire Fighters, Emergency Medical Responders. Incident Command told these responders to come, but to stop at the county line and wait for further instructions.  "Self-dispatching" which was very problematic. Everyone wanted to help, but due to the severe communication problem, responders would "Self-deploy" without consent from Incident Command.  Hence, responders didn't coordinate with incident command.
   

• At one point incident command moved its location and responders could not find it. The flag system was not used.  Incident command moved back to an on-site location.
   

• The FBI failed to set up a "JIC" Joint Information Center. This is where data can be collected and shared with media and other support staff/agencies. The Pentagon site had to be evacuated about three times due to unidentified flying aircraft after the initial hit. The "JIC" would have prevented these evacuations during the rescue.
   

• Here is another communications problem that they had. No badging system. They had many responders, if you said you were a fireman then you were let in to help. There was no uniform badging system in place to check out you or your capabilities. They put up a chain link fence around the EOC "Staging area" and tried to gain order among all the responders. This also led to a security problem, basically no badging, no security system in place around the staging area.
   

• Radios, Radios, Radios. The fire department likes VHF and the Police like 800 megahertz. Hence mutual aid can't communicate with anyone.
   

• Duration. Can the fire department handle an event that will take three days, 24 hours per day?  Does it have the resources?  One fire department had an extra truck, but it was equipped with no supplies.  To use it the supplies from another fire truck had to be removed and loaded on this truck. Should it have been fully stocked as an additional resource? Would the fire department benefit from a pager system?  They would like to have one, however they need ventilators more than pagers and have only so much money to spend on resources.

This workshop discussed the many things that went according to the emergency response plan. From my report it may seem that it was a disaster.  Many things went well, responders did a remarkable job under the circumstances. Again, one big area of improvement discussed was communication. I thought the Amateur Radio community would find this most interesting.  In other words, what some of the professionals struggle with are issues that we ourselves have struggled with on many occasions.

Arlington County should be commended for making the report public. It was their wish that we all could learn from what they went through. If you attended the presentation, for the most part they had a excellent plan, and many things went extremely well. My report focused on the communication issue, which seems quite negative.  Arlington County and all responders did an outstanding job in a difficult situation.

After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it, mainly because it was just a sew-sew job....

STM REPORTS FROM JIM HANNA, AF4NS

NET ACTIVITY:

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOR ROLL:

STATION ACTIVITY REPORTS

Traffic handled:

Next I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting.....

MARS: ONE WAY TO "GIVE BACK"

Those of you who've served in the military may have fond memories of MARS, Military Affiliated Radio System, which maybe allowed you to have a conversation with a loved one back home. I know I'll never forget the joy I felt at being able to talk, even briefly, to Mike when he was in Vietnam. Maybe that's a part of the reason why we're both members now.

Have you ever wanted to send a personal message of support and appreciation to someone in the armed forces? You CAN, and I'd encourage you to do so. Go to the GA Army MARS webpage at www.gamars.org  and click on the MARSGRAM link. By filling out the information, putting "any service member" in the "TO" line, you can send that message and provide a bright spot for one of our young men or women who are serving our country and maybe far away from hearth and home. ED BUTORAJAC, KM4QQ, MARS member and a veteran who fully appreciates how much of a boost to morale these messages can provide, will see to it that your message gets delivered to one of our country's finest. It's very simple to do, and it doesn't take very long. Try it. Please. You'll like it. So will that terrific person far away who is lucky enough to receive it.

Thanks to the efforts of ED DODD, WA4HWW, GA Army MARS members had the rare opportunity to enjoy a dinner meeting with Chief of Army MARS BOB SUTTON when he was in the state for a meeting at Ft. Gordon recently. Besides a very valuable Q&A session, the Chief also brought a stack of certificates to recognize service anniversaries for many GA MARS members. Of particular note were the lifetime awards for OTIS (SOCKS) STOCKINGS, AA4CY (30 years), JOHN KIRKMAN, W4WDH (35 years), NICK NICHOLS, K4ZYK, (40 years) and ERVIN TURNER, W4CDF (40 years). Sincere thanks to all of them for their many years of dedicated service.

Then I tried to be a chef. I figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme....

AN INTROSPECTIVE LOOK AT AMATEUR RADIO

Sometimes, we just have to stand back and take stock of ourselves, and maybe examine our direction and aims. The beginning of a new year always offers an excellent time for us to do just that. How about if we take a thoughtful look at amateur radio itself? One of the club reflectors (GARS) had an interesting discussion on it recently as to whether amateur radio should be considered a HOBBY or a SERVICE. RON LANGSTON, WE5O, offers us some interesting food for thought, in examining just what amateur radio is, and maybe will become, as we enter the new year. Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his pontifications with you all. This doesn't mean that I'm going to start including "editorials" in these newsletters..... only that this was particularly well-written, and seems appropriate for the first newsletter of this new year. I'm pleased to be able to share it with you.

Ham Radio...Hobby or Service?

Well, this discussion is not only interesting but very important.  Amateur radio is at a pivot point in history where it is critical for us to know just what we are: members of a radio service or electronic hobbyists?  I like to believe we are both and even more.  There is no doubt that our mission statement has changed even though Part 97 is relatively unchanged in its wording.  Handling traffic, chasing DX, learning to use CW as another Ham tool, building antennas, working with QRP, and experimenting with things like PSK31, satellite communication and digital voice transmission are just a few of the fun parts of amateur radio today.

However, we cannot hide from reality.  Look at the coming of powerful home computers, high speed electronic connections, world wide communication and information transfer via the Internet, cheap long distance rates via phone cards, hand held Cell phones that can reach parties around the globe, global positioning satellite equipment that tells us at all times where we are and where we are going, and on and on.  In my opinion only a fool would say that Amateur Radio is the same thing that it was twenty years ago.

We are at a new page in Amateur Radio History.  It is not the end of Ham Radio.  That is a prediction that has been made each time in the past when new electronic communication technology has been developed. 

Also, it is not the dawn of a new age where Amateur Radio will only be some form of charity or community service organization.  Nor will Ham Radio be just a fun pastime for the electronically talented or technically curious.  Nor will it be just another market for the commercial sale of high tech toys like high fidelity stereo sound or high definition TV.  (Yes, Virginia, Radio Shack was once a serious source of electronic parts for Ham Radio Operators before it became an electronic toy store to survive in today's market.)

What then are we to become in this new phase of our history??  That depends on us.  Yes, we are to some extent all of the things mentioned above and more.  But there are new challenges now before us.

We are faced with a foreign world that is developing highly skilled engineers, scientists and technicians faster than we are.  Our educators have not been able to generate the spark of curiosity and the desire to learn in many of our young Americans.  That "spark" in the past has made our country the most innovative and productive in recorded history.

We are faced with new technologies that both make our lives more comfortable than ever before.  And yet, most of us feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the speed of ongoing new developments.  Our automobiles are the best and safest in history, yet highway accidents are the leading cause of death for young people between 15 and 20 years old.  We know more about alternate fuels, recycling our waste, the protection of our natural environment, and the dangers of smoking that ever before.  And yet smog still hangs over our city, our streams and lakes are still polluted. People still throw their waste out of car windows and leave trash to float down the Hootch.  We have not been able to help people stop a deadly habit that causes them to spend billions of dollars just to kill themselves with lung cancer.

And we think we have problems in Ham Radio???  It is my opinion, however, that the challenge has never been greater for Amateur Radio to demonstrate the importance of electronic communication and the use of sound methodology for the transfer of information.  The challenge is to experiment and develop new and better methods. The challenge is to create a spark for our young Americans who will become the leaders of our Country when most of us have already "shorted to ground."  The challenge is to serve our communities and demonstrate the need for an amateur radio service whether it is in providing safety through communications at a parade, setting up demonstrations of ham radio for public education, or helping with the myriad of communication problems associated with public safety during foul and dangerous weather.  The challenge is to provide a well trained cadre of volunteer radio operators to provide back up for communications necessary for the defense of our homeland from terrorists.  And yes, the challenge is even to be the smiling face of member of a ham organization that assists in the parking of cars at a Dog Show.

There are some who say that Ham radio is no longer needed and the valuable frequencies we have should be sold to commercial interests to help with the national debt.  What if tomorrow they were to outlaw visible ham antennas and towers everywhere?  What if they reduced our maximum output power to five watts?  What if they made the sale of commercially manufactured ham radio gear illegal? What if they said all future ham activities would be restricted to 11 meters?

Well, it has happened before.  The frequencies being used in the early days of ham radio were stripped away by the government and given to commercial interests.  Ham radio was restricted to the spectrum we now call the HF frequencies which at that time were thought to be worthless.  The hams of that day met the challenge and found through experimentation that the HF frequencies could be used for long distance communication by bouncing signals off of the ionosphere.

Ham radio transmissions were silenced completely during World War II.  Thank God for the trained ham operators that were able to step in and help train the radiomen needed at that time.  After the war AM was challenged by a new technology called single sideband.  Many felt it would be "the end of Ham radio as they knew it."

So where are we now?? Same as before??  As I said earlier, in my opinion we are at a pivot point.  It is time once again to discuss what we are and what we can be.  A wise man once said, "Science is the study of why things are what they are.  Engineering is the study of what things can become."  We need to decide what we can and should become.  We need to establish a new mission statement to supplement Part 97.  And most important we need to get started right now.  2003 should be the year that we redefine ourselves in light of current technologies and the challenges of the future.

So if you have rambled this far with me I hope you see why I believe Amateur Radio is a "service" and a "hobby" and much, much more.  We are public servants, we are pseudo scientists.  We are "electronic dream weavers."  We are historians.  We are both student and teacher.  We are the first level volunteer communicators of last resort during some emergencies.  We are the first communicators on the scene of other emergencies.  We can be the spark that lights the creative fires for a young person who may become the next Edison or Faraday.  Whatever we are, I believe it is critically important and I take it seriously.  I believe amateur radio operators should stand proudly and let others know why Ham radio is and what it can be. I hope that that during the coming year we can begin to establish a new and proper mission statement that will enable us to carry our antennas, our batteries, our gear our log books and a proud commitment to the meaningful operation of amateur radio (practice, hobby, service and much more) well into the next century.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year

Ron WE5O

I tried to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard....

"BIG PROJECT" UPDATE

I know. It's technically called the ARRL Education and Technology Program, but it started out as the "Big Project", and that name has stuck with me. But by whatever name you call it, the program has been growing by leaps and bounds. There's a total of 41 participating schools in the program now, and the focus is now on a curriculum review to better integrate amateur radio into school studies, both for elementary and secondary levels. There was a great article in the December QST that'll give you a better idea of the tremendous potential in this program.

On the local level, I'm pleased to say that, thanks to the help of STEVE DIGGS, W4EPI, Richards Middle School in Lawrenceville, one of the Big Project pilot schools, is now officially on the waiting list for making contact with the International Space Station!! Notification for the exact date of the contact will be received about 6 months in advance of our scheduled time, and the waiting list has about 60 other schools ahead of us. It may take a while, considering the probable frequency of contact with one school per week, but WOW!! We're on the list! If I'm still your Section Manager when it happens, I'll tell you all about it.

More good news. SUSAN WOERLY, who isn't yet licensed herself, sent in an application for Hunt Elementary School in Fort Valley, to become another pilot school. She believes it'll "open up the world" for these students, and her enthusiasm is boundless. Sincere thanks to the members of the MIDDLE GA ARC, who've agreed to support her efforts. Because of those fine folks, I expect that school to gain approval next time around.

My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy...

SECTION NOTABLES

You've heard the expression that calls something "the best of both worlds". That's exactly what CAREY FISHER, K8VZ, and DOUG MCDOWELL, K4SWJ, have for themselves. Combining their experience from years in electronics design and manufacturing, and their love for amateur radio, they've formed a new ham business, New Communications Solutions. The whole idea is to work for themselves, commercializing some of the ideas and equipment they've been playing with over the years in their shacks. Check out their website at http://www.ncsradio.com/ and see their first products, a "really cool microphone switcher" and a "versatile patch panel". Congratulations, guys, for "living the dream". I wish you much success.

Some months ago, I mentioned the work that STAN HALSTEAD, W4GOD, had done in developing a weather alert system for the deaf. He and the Albany ARC are highlighted in the January QST for this work. (under "Public Service", page 75) Congratulations, Stan, for being recognized for this wonderful work and for being able to spread the word on this system that may play an important part in saving lives.

I studied a long time to be a doctor, but I didn't have any patience...

PIGLETS (AKA "YOUNG HAMS")

Congratulations to another young Georgia ham, JOSEPH MOORE, KF4WWU, who thrilled audiences over the Holidays by appearing in several productions of The Nutcracker. He and his two sisters are all members of the Georgia Ballet Company in Fayetteville. Proud grandpop JOHN CALDWELL, N4HIC, says that Joseph has a unique tee shirt, which aptly states, "Real men don't lift weights- they lift women!" This, by the way, is a three generation ham family. Grandma is ANNE CALDWELL N4TEZ, Mom is CAROLINE MOORE N4TES, and Dad is RUSS MOORE, N4TEY.

Next was a job in a shoe factory. I tried, but I just didn't fit in....

THIS 'N' THAT

CORRECTION- In last month's newsletter, I identified TV channel 46 as WGNX. Southeastern Division Vice Director SANDY DONAHUE, W4RU, was quick to point out that the station became WGCL in July of 2000. I knew that. But HE knows it BETTER..... after all, he's retired from them.... what, three or four times now? Sorry about that.

HOWIE GOULD, W9HG, brought a terrific website to our attention last month that teaches Morse code using high speed 20WPM and a 15WPM spacing, teaching only 2 characters at a time. Some of you let me know that you had trouble getting onto the site. That's because I goofed with the URL. It should be http://hfradio.org/

JOHN KRAUS, KC4GCQ, offered up a clarification on the information given in last month's newsletter about the storm damage reporting from Bibb county. He said that ROBERT CURREY, W4ALQ, was very instrumental in helping define the situation. Thank you, Robert, for your assistance. John also said, "In a nutshell, the problem was two subdivisions that back up to each other geographically that both suffered a direct strike. The confusion occurred largely from the conflicting reports as to which county was involved and how many actual strikes occurred. The main way to resolve this is always to plot the incidents on some sort of map. Until a "bird's eye view" is obtained, either from a map or from someone intimately familiar with the area, the confusion cannot be resolved.  For several years I have recommended the Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer be made the de facto standard for reporting via voice nets." Sounds like maybe a possible discussion topic for the statewide ARES meeting coming up??

I love happy endings, don't you? So, it's really cool to me that TOM DRAKE, W4XXV, saw an old friend's name and callsign in last month's newsletter and was able to re-connect with him. He and BARNEY BARNES, W8KJM, knew each other years ago in Columbus, Ohio, and then lost touch when Barney moved to GA in '81 and Tom moved to Chicago in '82. Now, Tom, who lives in Sharpsburg, was able to get in touch with Barney, who lives in Lilburn. Very cool. As Tom said, "It's a small world."

Do you find yourself with a whole pile of beautiful Christmas cards that you just hate to throw away, but don't really have the room to save? St. Jude's Ranch for Children recycles these cards and sells them as a fundraiser. The fronts of any and all greeting cards can be mailed to St. Jude's Ranch for Children, 100 St. Jude's St., Boulder City, NV, 89005-1618. (It may not be amateur radio, but it sure is a good cause.)

The FCC is once again looking for comments on a couple of petitions that affect amateur radio. The first is RM-10620, introduced by DALE REICH, K8AD, and it proposes an automatic upgrade for Novice and Advanced class licensees who've been licensed twenty or more years. It also asks that 2M privileges be re-instated for Novice class operators. RM-10621, introduced by AMSAT-NA, asks that the current 27 month pre-space launch notification time be lowered from 27 months to 30 days. The deadline for filing your comments is January 17th, and to make those comments, go to the FCC's electronic comment filing system at http://www.fcc.gov/ecfs.html

I became a professional fisherman, but discovered I couldn't live on my net income...

TECH TIPS

Here's a terrific site that was found by TIM MYLAND, KE2USA, when he was searching for a place to purchase a part for his Kenwood radio. He said it has all of the replaceable parts for Kenwood radios, listed by radio model. If you own a Kenwood, you may want to bookmark this site for future reference: www.pacparts.com

Do you have some old VCRs sitting around just gathering dust? How about a project to use the tuners as a basis for building a spectrum analyzer? Check out the "Projects for the Ham Shack" on the ARRL Technical Service pages: www.arrl.org/tis

I managed to get a good job for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining....

UPCOMING EVENTS

JANUARY 4--- KIDS DAY: a special opportunity to get your children, your grandchildren, or your neighbor kids on the air. This is one of two operating events held every year that's specifically designed to introduce youngsters to the fun of talking on the air.

JANUARY 11-19--- MARCONI WIRELESS CENTENNIAL. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi's first wireless transmission between the US and Europe, Special Event Station KM1CC will be on the air from the site in MA near where the original 1903 Marconi station was located. For more information on all of the events planned for this commemoration, see http://personal.tmlp.com/k1vv/w1aa

JANUARY 25--- Gwinnett ARS 6th annual TECHFEST. Established as a means of exchanging information and ideas on some of the many facets of amateur radio. Displays in past years have included making QSL cards, satellite radio, antenna building, soldering, proper use of some test equipment, kit building, Slow Scan TV, "free" TV, computer programming of radios, generators, batteries, AM modulation of a simple laser pointer, APRS, PSK-31, QRP, DXing, etc. etc. etc. Lots of fun. (And FREE.) Also include a chili cook-off, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. Location: First United Methodist Church at the corner of Langley Drive and Hwy. 29 in Lawrenceville. 11 AM until 3 PM

So then I got a job in a workout center, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

SILENT KEYS

CARL BAGLEY, WA4AAY
VERN BRACKETT, NA4VB
FLOYD HANDSOR, WA4NAH
DUTCH KRANTZ, W4GCO
ROBERT WRIGHT, N0ILH

Sincere condolences to the families and friends of all of these fine men.

Well, that's it for now, folks. Sincere thanks for all of your support and encouragement this first year of serving as your SM. It's been a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to continuing through this next year. For those of you who've been encouraging me to run for another term, I'll let y'all know in next month's newsletter. Promise. Until next time, this is AF4FO, signing clear. Take care of yourselves. And each other. 73, Susan   (Heck, might as well leave you with the last part of this month's groaners..... Gee whiz, I thought this was gonna be a short newsletter this month. Ooooops)

After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as a historian,
but there was no future in it...

My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit, because it was always the same old grind.....
Bottom line? I retired, and found I am PERFECT for the job!!!>>>>> AMEN!!!